Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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ROBESON, Paul

(b 9 April 1898, Princeton NJ; d 23 January 1976) A singer of operatic quality, a bass, but often billed as a baritone; also an actor. He played football in college, attended Columbia Law School, sang spirituals and became interested in the theatre. He played the title role of Brutus Jones in Eugene O'Neill's The Emperor Jones, in London with it in 1925, in a film version in 1933 (made in a week; it was also Billie Holiday's first film: she was an extra in a crowd scene). He played Othello in London in 1930, a revival of Jerome Kern's Show Boat '32, film version '36; other films: King Solomon's Mines '37, The Song Of Freedom, Dark Sands and Jericho '38; The Proud Valley '41, Native Land and Tales Of Manhattan '42.

He began recording for Victor in 1925, later on Columbia; he recorded a great many spirituals and work songs; 'Ballad For Americans' in four parts on two Victor 78s was political in nature; 'King Joe' with Count Basie on OKeh was also in two parts. His voice was much loved but his career faltered because he was a Communist sympathizer: he had given up hope of the amelioration of racism in the USA from any other direction, and he was not alone in those days. At Peekskill NY there was a riot in 1949 when rock-throwing hooligans spoiled a concert while the cops looked the other way (it was known as the Robeson Riot and there was a book about it: Peekskill, U.S.A. by Howard Fast). He gave concerts in Europe in the late 1950s and early '60s; was president of the Pete Seeger Committee in London early '60s; he retired to Harlem '63 in ill health.

Many compilations have come and gone; on CD there were The Essential and Live At Carnegie Hall on Vanguard, a series on Collectable, others on Memoir and Happy Days; three on Pearl included Songs Of Free Men (1940-5 tracks); The Odyssey Of on Omega Classics has 1952-8 tracks from the collection of his son. Paul Robeson In Moscow on Revelation is a 1949 concert, Robeson singing in seven languages (the concert was subversive from the Stalinist point of view thanks to Robeson's humanism; some of his remarks and some of the applause were censored).